Japan's Next PM Ramps Up Pressure on Bank of Japan
VOA News
December 17, 2012
Incoming Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has renewed his pledge to pressure the Bank of Japan to ease monetary policy after leading his conservative party to a sweeping election victory.
Speaking to a packed news conference Monday, Abe said the central bank should heed the election result when it meets later this week to discuss policy. He said once he formed his cabinet on December 26, he would instruct ministers to double the Bank of Japan's inflation target.
During the campaign leading up to Sunday's landslide victory, he had called for increased public works spending and an easy monetary policy to pull Japan's once-vibrant economy from its fourth recession in the past 12 years.
Abe also vowed to improve ties with Beijing while standing firm on Japan's claim to a cluster of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea controlled by Tokyo but claimed by China and Taiwan.
The conservative leader on Monday again called the Senkaku islands "inherently Japanese territory," referring to the islands that China calls Diaoyu.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chuying responded that China is highly concerned about which direction Japan will take now that the election is over, and hopes that Japan will encourage constructive and peaceful development of ties between the two countries.
Abe's Liberal Democratic Party said it won 294 seats and its coalition partner New Komeito 31 in the 480-member House of Representatives. That would secure a two-thirds' majority - enough to override the upper house, where the ruling Democratic Party of Japan is the largest single party.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda announced his resignation as the DPJ chief after losing in parliamentary election in Tokyo, December 16, 2012.
The DPJ, headed by current Prime Minister Yushihiko Noda, got only 57 seats in Sunday's elections.Noda promptly announced his resignation as party chief, acknowledging that the DPJ has not been able to meet people's expectations.
U.S. President Barack Obama congratulated Abe on his success and said he is looking forward to working closely with the new Japanese government.
The LDP, Japan's conservative nationalist party, has dominated the country's politics since the 1950s, with only a few brief periods in opposition. Abe last led the country in 2006, but he stepped down after a troubled year in office, citing health problems.
The country remains in a two-decade economic slump, and voter dissatisfaction in 2009 allowed Mr. Noda's DPJ party to wrest power from the conservatives. Since that DPJ win, critics say the party has failed to deliver on a series of promises, including vows to crack down on wasteful government spending, and promises of cash incentives to encourage young couples to start families.
Language Notes 
incoming (a) 繼任的；即將上任的
pledge (n) 保證，誓言
monetary policy (n phr) 貨幣政策
sweeping (a) 全面的;徹底的
文中 “a sweeping election victory” 為「全面勝選，大勝」之意。文中另還有 “a landside victory”一詞，就字面翻譯是「山崩一樣的勝利」，也是英文常用來表示「大勝」的說法
heed (v) 關心，注意
cabinet (n) 內閣
即將上任的日本首相安倍晉三再度宣示，他將對日本銀行 (the Bank of Japan是日本的中央銀行)施壓，鬆綁貨幣政策 ( to ease monetary policy)。他稍後即將與中央銀行做政策討論，他表示日本中央銀行必須重視此次的選舉結果 (heed the election result)。在26號內閣 (cabinet) 成立，他將命閣員 (ministers) 將通貨膨脹目標 (inflation target) 調整為兩倍 (編按：原日本銀行的通貨膨漲目標是1%，安倍晉三將調整為2%，使通貨膨脹是貨幣寬鬆政策的一環。)
lead up to (v phr) 作為. . .前導，先於 . . .
recession (n) 經濟衰退，蕭條
在終至周日大勝局面的競選期間(during the campaign leading up to Sunday’s landslide victory)，安倍疾呼要增加公共建設支出 (increased public works spending) 與寬鬆的貨幣政策 (an easy monetary policy)，如此方能讓日本往日繁榮的經濟 (once-vibrant economy) 走出這十二年來第四度經歷的經濟蕭條 (recession)。
coalition (n) (政黨、國家等) 臨時結成的聯盟 XXXXX*本字需注意發音，o與a各為母音，都有發音
secure (v) 使安全；確能得到
override (v) 推翻；使無效
安倍的自民黨 (the Liberal Democratic Party) 與同盟政黨 (coalition partner) 在大選中獲得了三分之二的多數 (secure a two-thirds’ majority)，這將使眾議院 (House of Representatives) 有推翻上議院決議的權力 (to override the upper house)，而目前日本上議院的最大黨是民主黨 (the Democratic Party of Japan)。
step down (v phr) 辭職;退休
cite (v) 引述；引...為證
slump (n) 經濟的萎靡，衰退
wrest (v) 奪取,強奪XXXXX*wrest power from sb/sth. 從 . . .奪權
deliver (v) 履行(諾言);實現(期望)
crack down on (v phr) 遏止，限制
自1950年來，保守的、國家主義導向的自民黨一直主導日本政治 (dominated the country’s politics)，期間只有少數時間在野 (brief periods in opposition)。安倍曾於2006帶領過日本，經過了風波不斷的一年 (a troubled year in office)，後以健康理由下台 (stepped down . . . citing health problems)。
日本處於20年來的經濟退當中 (in a two-decade economic slupm)，在2009年時，選民對政府的不滿 (voter dissatisfaction) 讓民主黨從保守派手中得到政權 (to wrest power from the conservatives)。但民主黨上台後，其選舉支票無法兌現 (failed to deliver on a series of promises)最被批評，像是降低政府不當支出與浪費 (to crack down on wasteful government spending)，或是發給現金獎勵 (cash incentives) 來鼓勵青年成家政策 (to encourage young couples to start families)。
Check your vocabulary!
Fill in the blanks with a word or phrase from the list above. Make necessary changes. After you finish, select the text below to reveal the hidden answers.
1. The crash occurred when a freight train collided with an incoming passenger train.
2. If she had only heeded my warnings, none of this would have happened.
3. The spy scandal involved two cabinet ministers and several civil servants.
4. Election candidates frequently promise a lot more than they can deliver.
5. Many of the details of the events leading up to the bombing have come to light in recent months.
6. Should the opinions of experts override the wishes of the people?
7. In times of severe recession, companies are often forced to make massive job cuts in order to survive.
8. I can cite several recent racial attacks which prove my point.
Source： http://www.voanews.com/content/japans-next-pm-ramps-up-pressure-on-bank-of-japan/1566469.html
編譯：簡嘉呈
館藏介紹
英語宅急便 
